verify

Verify that the destination state matches the target state

The verify command checks that the destination directory matches the target state. It exits with success if they match, and fails otherwise.

Usage

chezmoi verify [target]...

Description

The verify command performs the same operations as chezmoi apply but on a read-only file system. If any changes would be made, the command exits with an error code.

This is useful for:

• CI/CD pipelines: Verify dotfiles are correctly applied in automated environments
• Monitoring: Check if configuration drift has occurred
• Testing: Validate that chezmoi apply was successful
• Auditing: Confirm system state matches expected configuration

Exit Codes

• 0 - Success: destination state matches target state
• 1 - Failure: destination state differs from target state

Flags

-x, --exclude · types

Exclude entry types (comma-separated: dirs, files, remove, scripts, symlinks, always, encrypted, externals, templates).

-i, --include · types

Include only specified entry types (comma-separated: dirs, files, remove, scripts, symlinks, always, encrypted, externals, templates).

--init · boolean · default: "false"

Recreate the config file from the template in the source directory.

-P, --parent-dirs · boolean · default: "false"

Verify all parent directories.

-r, --recursive · boolean · default: "true"

Recurse into subdirectories.

Examples

Verify all files

chezmoi verify

Exits with code 0 if everything matches, code 1 if differences exist.

Verify specific files

chezmoi verify ~/.bashrc ~/.vimrc

Verify with verbose output

chezmoi verify --verbose

Shows which files are being checked.

Check exit code

if chezmoi verify; then
    echo "All files match!"
else
    echo "Configuration drift detected!"
    exit 1
fi

CI/CD Usage

GitHub Actions

name: Verify Dotfiles

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 0 * * *'  # Daily

jobs:
  verify:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      
      - name: Install chezmoi
        run: |
          sh -c "$(curl -fsLS get.chezmoi.io)" -- -b ~/.local/bin
          
      - name: Initialize chezmoi
        run: |
          chezmoi init --source=$GITHUB_WORKSPACE
          chezmoi apply
          
      - name: Verify configuration
        run: chezmoi verify

GitLab CI

verify-dotfiles:
  stage: test
  script:
    - curl -sfL https://git.io/chezmoi | sh
    - ./bin/chezmoi init --source=.
    - ./bin/chezmoi apply
    - ./bin/chezmoi verify
  only:
    - main

Jenkins

stage('Verify Dotfiles') {
    steps {
        sh '''
            curl -sfL https://git.io/chezmoi | sh
            ./bin/chezmoi init --source=.
            ./bin/chezmoi apply  
            ./bin/chezmoi verify
        '''
    }
}

Monitoring

Cron job for drift detection

#!/bin/bash
# /etc/cron.daily/check-dotfiles

if ! chezmoi verify --quiet; then
    echo "Configuration drift detected!" | \
        mail -s "Dotfile Verification Failed" [e-mail]
fi

Systemd timer

# /etc/systemd/system/chezmoi-verify.service
[Unit]
Description=Verify dotfiles with chezmoi

[Service]
Type=oneshot  
User=username
ExecStart=/usr/bin/chezmoi verify

# /etc/systemd/system/chezmoi-verify.timer
[Unit]
Description=Daily dotfile verification

[Timer]
OnCalendar=daily
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

Enable:

systemctl enable --now chezmoi-verify.timer

Terminal Output

Success

$ chezmoi verify
$ echo $?
0

Failure

$ chezmoi verify
error: .bashrc: contents differ
error: .vimrc: not in destination state
$ echo $?
1

Verbose mode

$ chezmoi verify --verbose
.bashrc: verifying
.gitconfig: verifying
.vimrc: verifying  
error: .bashrc: contents differ
$ echo $?
1

Troubleshooting

Find which files differ

chezmoi verify || chezmoi status

If verification fails, check status to see what’s different.

Get detailed differences

chezmoi verify || chezmoi diff

Show exactly what differs.

Fix verification failures

if ! chezmoi verify; then
    echo "Differences found. Applying..."
    chezmoi apply
    chezmoi verify  # Verify again
fi

Common Patterns

Verify before and after apply

# Should fail if changes needed
chezmoi verify || echo "Changes needed"

# Apply changes
chezmoi apply

# Should now succeed
chezmoi verify && echo "Verified!"

Verify subset of files

# Only verify config files
chezmoi verify --include=files ~/.config

Verify in Docker

FROM ubuntu:latest

# Install chezmoi
RUN sh -c "$(curl -fsLS get.chezmoi.io)" -- -b /usr/local/bin

# Copy dotfiles
COPY . /root/.local/share/chezmoi

# Apply and verify
RUN chezmoi init --source /root/.local/share/chezmoi && \
    chezmoi apply && \
    chezmoi verify

Related Commands

• apply - Apply changes to match target state
• status - Show what differs
• diff - Show detailed differences